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Wednesday, February 13, 2013

1st August 2002 - that's the exact date, I was transferred to SMK Padang Siding (now known as SMK Tengku Budriah). SMK Padang Siding was (at that time) a new school, established (the new buildings) in January 2002.
For what reason?
For not getting any medals in the 2002 MSSM Track and Field meet held in Kuantan, Pahang.
Funny eh?
That's the real reason "they" can think of....

I'll tell the real reason why...
As the chief coach of the Perlis' Schools athletics team - I was responsible for the development of the sports. More accurate to say - I was responsible for the number of medals won in national meets (the MSSM).
One week before the MSSM meet in Kuantan, Pahang - the sports unit of the Perlis Education Department, headed by the Head of the Sports Sector - held a motivation camp for 3 days at the Timah Tasoh Lake, in preparations for the national meets, for all sports - soccer, rugby, tennis, athletics, netball...and so on.
It's okay to have a motivational camp - but not having a "tiring" schedule such as canoeing (kayak), night tracking, wall climbing and all those stuff that you do during the "development stage" of an athlete. It was "competiton stage" - only 7 days left for the meet (competition). I was totally against the stupid idea. I made a lot of noise (to disagree with) on the activities the Sports Unit had programmed.
To my knowledge as a qualified coach, Track and Field athletes should have a personal scheduled programme to follow 10 days before the competition. I had my special programme for all my athletes competing in the MSSM meet in Kuantan. That was why I didn't agree for my athletes to attend the motivation camp.

Mr. M (the Head of the Sports Sector) made a rule - that athletes who did not attend the camp, will not be allowed to take part in the coming MSSM competitions. I was furious and I told him this (the exact words):"Who the hell made this programme?" (I didn't know that it was him who drafted the programme)."How can you have night tracking, canoeing (kayak), wall climbing and all this stupid stuff - one week before competition?''"Sir, if my athletes are forced to attend this stupid programme, there will be NO MEDALS this year at the coming MSSM meet!!""Do you hear me - NO medals this year !!!"
Those were the exact words that I told him right on his face !!
He just kept quite. He didn't say a word.
I left the camp immediately but my athletes were forced to follow the programme for 3 days...

That year, 2002, the Perlis athletics team came home empty handed after the MSSM meet in Kuantan.
No medals !! I told them before going but they didn't listen. The rest of the officials (most of them) in the Perlis contingent were not interested in getting medals. They just wanted to have a free trip to Kuantan and enjoyed the benefit to "claim" from the government for their expenses while on duty at the MSSM meet.
You see..., there are people like that in this world. That's why we don't excel in sports... Sorry to say this.

Back to my transfer to SMK Padang Siding.
Actually, one week before being transferred, a friend in the Education Department told me so. He asked me to see the Education Director to seek help to be transferred to a decent school of my choice.
I didn't want to. Not my style to do such thing...
Then, Mr. Hussaini Abbas - the first Principal of SMK Padang Siding, took me to the school. He was the Assistant Principal of SMK Syed Hassan before being promoted. Mr. Hussaini saved me and my coaching career...
Two of my best athletes in SMK Syed Hassan follow me to SMK Padang Siding - a sprinter (girl) and a middle-distance runner (boy) - in September 2002. The following year, another two athletes followed. In fact, a dozen more would have transferred to SMK Padang Siding - but they were halted and being blackmailed by the then Principal of SMK Syed Hassan, Mr. A.
Mr. A to me was an evil...

I was in SMK Padang Siding for 6 years. I was very happy over there at that time. SMK Padang Siding is a rural school. Parents and teachers were like brothers and sisters. Mr. Hussaini Abbas was (he has now retired) a good administrator. He trusted his teachers and we were never under any kind of stress.. If we ever had any problem, he was there to help. He never said no if we asked permission to go out. That's how he trusted his teachers...
SMK Padang Siding was on the top 5 every year in the state athletics meet, from 2003 to 2007. Sprinters and jumpers were born. They became state champions and represented Perlis in MSSM meets - but I was never called for state duty although I have both (an IAAF Level 2 coaching certificate and a MSN level 2 Scientific Approach coach).
Coaches of Perlis are (now) the ones with Degrees in Sports Management from local universities. That's the standard now.. hehehe.. They can't even coach a primary athlete to win medals and yet become state coaches to MSSM meets. That's why Perlis can't win medals these days at MSSM meets.

I turned to golf while in SMK Padang Siding. I created a golf club in SMK Padang Siding. I trained my own son (who was studying in Malacca) to become a golfer and represented Perlis in the SUKMA 2008 games in Terengganu. I was a golfer myself and played to a handicap of 14. I was the 1st runner-up at the Mild Seven Open in 2003 played at the Black Forest Golf Resort in Bukit Kayu Hitam.
I became a state SUKMA coach in 2004, 2006 and was the manager in 2008.
In 2004 - my athlete, Saiful, won the bronze medal in golf at the Malacca SUKMA games.

1st runner-up at the Mild Seven Open Golf tournament 2003

SMK Tengku Budriah.

the new name of the school - SMK Tengku Budriah

inside SMK Tengku Budriah

Frankly speaking, I love teaching in SMK Padang Siding. I was there for 6 and half years - under 4 principals (Mr. Hussaini, Mr. Ghazali, Mdm. Nooraziah and Mr. Abidin). No problem...
I was transferred to SMK Derma on the 2nd of February, 2009. It was a "conditional transfer". I'll write about it in my next episode of my teaching profession.

ABOUT ME

Simple man. Educationist, Writer, Keyboardist,Composer and Arranger, Qualified Track and Field Coach, Golfer and coach, occasionally give talks on motivation and mathematics.
Like to share facts and experience in the Teaching & Coaching profession.
I love SPORTS a lot.